The present invention relates generally to removable electronic components that may need to be upgraded, repaired, or replaced.
Components of systems are routinely removed for a number of reasons. Some examples of these reasons include: system upgrades, component repair, maintenance, etc. Typically, components are wired internally and/or externally to interface with the system to which they are installed. This wiring may be made temporary by utilizing connectors, for example: standard power connectors, PCI connectors, ribbon cable, or screw terminals, etc.
Some components have connectors on the front side of the component so they may be xe2x80x9cautomaticallyxe2x80x9d connected as a result of an installation process. Such automatic connections have been utilized, for example, in Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMIA) cards, removable drives on computers, handheld type computing devices, automotive stereos, computer docking stations, and the like. Additionally, connectors have been located on the backside of components as external wiring, whereby the wiring is manually removed from the outside of the system prior to removing the components.
The installation and removal of conventional components often requires tools. For example, conventional screws are often used to hold components. The installation and removal of components typically includes the manual connection of electrical connectors. These electrical connectors of a variety of types often require small screws to be tightened to assure a proper connection. These screws and their accompanying washers are often loose, resulting in excessive time searching for a dropped screw or paying particular attention to retain the loose connectors and fasteners.
One particular example of a system having removable components is a media autochanger system. An example of a media autochanger system 900 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The media autochanger system 900 may be provided with a front panel 950, a host computer 952 and network connection 954.
The media autochanger system 900 provides a safe, permanent way to archive huge amounts of information and keep the information immediately accessible. The media autochanger system 900 is a high-speed alternative to paper-based, tape-based or microfiche-based storage. Additionally, the media autochanger system 900 may be upgraded, for example, in the form of storage capacity, number of drives or number of cartridge slots as needed. This adaptability allows a user to purchase a system that meets current needs and then increase performance or capacity as required at a later time.
The media autochanger system 900 may be provided with one or more conventional housings. One such conventional housing 904 is illustrated in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 2, the conventional housing 904 may receive one or more removable components such as a drive module 920. The conventional housing 904 may have one drive module 920 in a two-drive bay 908. A Small Computer Systems Interface xe2x80x9cSCSIxe2x80x9d connector 906 may be provided with the conventional device. The SCSI connector 906 is used for data transfer to and from the drive module 920. The SCSI connector 906 may be located on a backside 910 of the drive module 920 via a mounting plate 930. The mounting plate 930 may be attached to drive module 920 by two screws 940, 941 having washers.
A ribbon cable (not shown) on the inside of the mounting plate 930 is provided in a loop circuit. The ribbon cable may be provided with a terminal portion (not shown) to electrically connect the SCSI connector 906 to the internal components of the drive module 920. The terminal portion allows the ribbon cable to be disconnected from the drive module 920 without breaking the SCSI loop. By maintaining the SCSI loop, devices attached down-line remain xe2x80x9con-linexe2x80x9d. If the SCSI loop is broken, the resulting glitch in the SCSI Bus may interrupt backup of data. If data is interrupted, the entire backup process may need to be reinitiated. Restarting a backup operation results in loss of time, uncertainty of data integrity and potential complete loss of data. Additionally, the terminal portion is typically provided having a relatively short length and order to minimize reflections in data traveling in the ribbon cable. An American National Standards Institute (ANSI) specification T10 titled INFTECH-SCSI PARALLEL INT-2-SPI2 imposes a required maximum length for the terminal portion of 100 mm in order to preserve the quality of the data.
To remove the drive module 920 from the housing 904, the media autochanger system 900, FIG. 1, may be notified of the intent to remove the drive module 920. This notification may generally occur in one of three ways: by notifying the host computer 952, notifying the front panel 950, or notifying through the network connection 954. After notifying the system, a power-down procedure is initiated for the drive module 920. During the power-down procedure a media tape may be rewound and ejected, a robot arm may be removed and power to the drive is terminated.
After the drive module 920 is powered-down (which may take several minutes), the mounting plate 930 may be removed to uncover an opening in the back 910 of the drive module 920 and provide access to the ribbon connector. Removal of the mounting plate 930 may require removal of the screws 940,941 with a screwdriver. The ribbon cable may be disconnected from the drive module 920 through the opening in the back 910 of the drive module 920. This removal of the ribbon cable requires a user to reach inside the drive module 920, and manually disconnect the terminal portion of the ribbon cable from the drive module 920. After the ribbon cable has been disconnected, a top fastener 960 and a bottom fastener 962 may be removed to free the drive module 920 from the housing 904. The drive module 920 may then be slid out of the bay 908.
Disclosed herein is a method directed to a removable component of a system having at least one first connector operatively associated with the component. Additionally, the system may be provided with at least one second connector operatively associated with a housing. Wherein, the component has a connected condition in which the first connector may be electrically engaged with the second connector. The component may also have a disconnected condition in which the first connector may be electrically disengaged from the second connector. Additionally, the component may have at least a locked condition and an unlocked condition. Applying a force may cause the component to move from the connected condition to the disconnected condition.
The disclosure may be further directed to a system including a housing and a component removably received within the housing. The system may be provided with at least one first connector operatively associated with the component and at least one second connector operatively associated with the housing. The component may have at least a connected and a disconnected condition wherein, in the connected condition, the first connector may be electrically engaged with the second connector. Additionally, in the disconnected condition, the first connector may be electrically disengaged from the second connector. The component may have at least a locked condition and an unlocked condition, and moving the component from the connected to the disconnected condition causes the component to move from the locked to the unlocked condition.
Further disclosed herein may be a method directed to a removable component of a system having a first electrical connector on a housing and a second electrical connector on a component. The second electrical connector may be disconnected from the first electrical connector by moving the second electrical connector relative to the first electrical connector in a first direction. The component may be moved relative to the housing in a second direction; wherein, the first direction may be transverse to the second direction.